You may have heard that Bistro CloClo, the French restaurant that opened on Restaurant Row last year, has been sold and that one of the new owners is Reimund Pitz, the chef and owner of Le Coq au Vin. Pitz has already taken over the restaurant and is changing the menu -- and the quality of the ingredients, he told me.
He's also about to change the name of the place. Beginning Oct. 1 it will be known as Bistro Le Coq au Vin Dr. Phillips. That's a bit of a mouthful, but if you've had Pitz's food, you know that a mouthful is a good thing. "I will have some of the classics, like Coq au Vin," Pitz said. But don't expect an exact replica of the menu at his popular restaurant south of downtown Orlando. "I don't ever want it to take the place of Le Coq au Vin," he said. He'll have choucroute and cassoulet and will bring in fresh fish daily. Top menu price will be about $27, but just as they are at Le Coq au Vin, half portions will be available. I wish more restaurants would do that.
The restaurant is open now and will not be shuttered during the transition. It will close as CloClo one day and open as (deep breath) Bistro Le Coq au Vin Dr. Phillips the next.
